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Tulalip Casino
The casino's named is pronounced too-LAY-lip. By far the most elegant casino in Washington, the Tulalip Casino is an astonishingly upscale oasis located only 30 minutes north of Seattle. Easy to find, right on I-5 at Exit 202. Games Limit hold 'em: 3/6, 4/8, 6/12, 8/16, 10/20, 20/40, 40/80. 20/40 and 40/80 only run during the busiest times (weekends etc). Spread-limit hold 'em: 3-20 spread. Only run when they run out of licenses for NL tables. No-limit spread-limit hold 'em: 1/3 blind 50-300 buyin. | 3/5 blinds 200-1000 buyin. | 5/10 blinds, 300-1000 buyin. | 10/20 blinds, 1000-2500 buyin. $500 max bet on all games (state law). * 10/20 is rarely spread. Low stakes game used to be 1/2, now is 1/3. Omaha/8: 3/6, 4/8 with a kill. Pot-limit and both hi and hi-lo games can be found occasionally. HORSE: 2-10 spread. 7 card stud and Crazy Pineapple sometimes appear on weekends. Rake: 10% to $3 max, plus jackpot rake of $1. Blinds: standard. Rake is taken from pot after flop, though jackpot rake is taken pre-flop. Posting: New players need not post. Shuffling: All tables have standard Shufflemaster shuffling machines. Game Character: Anything can happen and usually does. Some maniacs, some calling stations, some rocks, some good players. Wild games are not uncommon. Wait Time: Can be extremely long. But, this casino has actual "waiting buzzers" like restaurants do. You sign up for the game(s) you want, and you're given a buzzer. Go out and wander the rest of the casino, play blackjack or Pai Gow, and your buzzer will light up and buzz when you're being called. Then make your way back to the poker room to play. On the Monday night I was there, the wait was an hour for a 4/8 seat. Tournaments * Mon-Fri 11:00am: NLHE $25+$5 * Tue 7pm:Bust The Boss No Limit Hold'em $50 * Thu 7pm: NLHE $125 * Sat 11am: NLHE $80+$10 * Sun 12noon: NLHE $45+$5, $10 bounty included Jackpots and Promotions * Royal Flush jackpot, progressive by suit * Bad Beat jackpot, separate by game (HE, Omaha, Horse) * High Hand bonus on weeknights, $200 each hour Atmosphere The Tulalip Casino is nothing short of amazing. Although it's kind of in the middle of rural Washington, it is an astoundingly fancy and gorgeous casino. It's like a cross between Bellagio and Paris Las Vegas, and I mean that in the nicest way. The moment you walk into the casino, you're in a huge central room with extremely high arched ceilings. The center area's ceiling has been painted dark blue and dappled with tiny lights to simulate stars: they even twinkle as you watch them! To continue with the "you're outdoors on a pleasant night" theme, the gambling tables are all under awnings or thatch or timbered roofs. The vast marble walls and columns surrounding the room on the edges bring to mind the Roman opulence of Bellagio, and the gorgeous appointments throughout continue the theme. The poker room is a vast room with gorgeous walls, floor, and ceiling: it's a separate room with huge brass-and-glass doors separating it from the casino, that are usually kept closed to reinforce the calm atmosphere inside the room. Spacious and well-lit, the room has walls that are covered with lovely wallpaper and sport 7 large plasma televisions strategically placed around the room. This has gotta be poker central for the north Seattle area. I mean, come on! What other casino even has a waiting list for HORSE? Neighborhood: The casino is in a somewhat isolated area, but some shopping centers have sprung up in the area, probably to cater to people making an excursion of their visit. The tribes which run the Tulalip also still run their original casino, the Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub and Casino, one exit south on I-5, which is a much smaller casino that now caters more to the younger, working crowd. Parking: Vast parking lots surround the casino. One of the main advantages this place has over the Las Vegas Strip! Tables and Chairs: 9-seat tables with gorgeous felt and overstuffed vinyl rail padding. The only fault is the felt on the table is actually a little too padded: chip stacks sink into the felt a bit and make it hard to slide them around neatly, or match the stacks. The chairs are fabulous wooden-frame padded chairs with full swivel and wheeled bases: like upscale fancy office chairs. Service and Comps Occasional service from the two restaurants in the casino as well as from the casino bar. Links and Notes * Nearest competitor is probably the Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub and Casino just down the highway. But they're not really a competitor, since it's owned by the same tribe. * The closest real competitors are the mini-casinos in Everett, about five miles south, or The Point Casino just outside Kingston. * Visited by MarkT in Jun 2006.